Amanda Hess

September 25, 2023

Egg Crack Challenge and Cheese Slice Trick: Are Parents OK?

With the “cheese slice trick” and the “egg crack challenge,” parents vie for viral recognition — and the illusion of control over their children. The other […]
May 26, 2022

TikTok’s Amber Heard Hate Machine

Television turned the celebrity trial into a 24-hour tabloid spectacle. Social media made it into a sport. I did not follow the defamation trial between Johnny […]
March 30, 2022

The Brilliance of Charo

The guitarist, singer, actress and comedian has long wrapped her prodigious talents in a glossy, over-the-top persona. Decades later, and still going strong, it’s time to […]
November 15, 2021

The Art of Botox

How facial muscle paralysis insinuated itself into our emotional and creative lives. Last spring, Botox rolled out a series of ads directed by the filmmaker Errol […]
November 15, 2021

The Art of Botox

How facial muscle paralysis insinuated itself into our emotional and creative lives. Last spring, Botox rolled out a series of ads directed by the filmmaker Errol […]
April 27, 2021

Inject the Vaccine Fan Fiction Directly Into My Veins

It feels very American to turn the vaccine rollout into a branding spectacle rooted in the worship of pharmaceutical companies. What is your favorite piece of […]
April 14, 2021

The Triumph of the Celebrity Endorsement

Shilling stars used to be accused of “selling out.” Now they’re hailed as savvy investors and giving the performances of their careers. When I learned that […]
March 16, 2021

This Is Your Brain on Peloton

Advertisement Continue reading the main story Supported by Continue reading the main story Critic’s Notebook This Is Your Brain on Peloton The exercise bike company’s virtual […]
May 1, 2020

The ‘Credibility Bookcase’ Is the Quarantine’s Hottest Accessory

Imagine that you are a member of the expert class — the kind of person invited to pontificate on television news programs. Under normal circumstances, your […]
November 25, 2019

When Instagram Killed the Tabloid Star

Celebrity culture, in the first decade of this century, took the form of a kind of misogynistic death cult. Somewhere in Hollywood, Lindsay Lohan was falling […]